It was unusually cold and damp that fall morning in Bebek. Either the drizzle or Saturday morning hangovers emptied the streets in this seaside village adjacent to Istanbul. The Bosphorus had become sublime overnight: its history of eternal conquests were somehow exposed, naked under this blanket of fog. Bundled in oiled canvas anoraks; seeking coffee, food, and color; we came to this bustling outdoor restaurant and found them all. A bright yellow canopy illuminated the dreary scene. We were all actors of ourselves that morning, transported to a secret set in an imaginary world, separate from the mundane grey scene around us.
[design tips]
Most architects and designers aren't taught color theory. No longer educated in principles of color, light, and texture as our Renaissance and Beaux Arts predecessors were, most architects shy away from color. Even at RISD--one of the best art + design schools in the country--my education in it has been limited to the painting department. Some of our greatest tools, color and light have the power to transform space.
Gareth Doherty, a professor in landscape architecture at Harvard, wrote of a color phenomenon that took hold recently in his home village in Ireland. He tells of his grandfather bucking grey and white house paint convention because of an incredible steal on hot pink paint at the hardware store. What started as a move in frugality and uncaring colorblindness turned into an complete change in the character and identity of a place.
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